The larger the surface area, the more possibilities exist for engaging in these activities. Think of the cell surface as the ability of the cell to bring in nutrients and let out waste products. The surface-to-volume ratio of the smaller cell is 3, while the surface-to-volume ratio of the larger cell decreases to 1.5. Let us look at a 2 μm cell in comparison with a cell that is twice as large at 4 μm. This ratio changes as a cell increases in size. These advantages relate back to the surface-to-volume ratio of the cell, a ratio of the external cellular layer in contact with the environment compared to the liquid inside. Much of it has to do with the advantages derived from being small. There are reasons why most archaeal/bacterial cells are much smaller than eukaryotic cells. Cell SizeĬell size, just like cell morphology, is not a trivial matter either, to a cell. Eukaryotic microbes also tend to exhibit a wide array of shapes, particularly the ones that lack a cell wall such as the protozoa. There are additional shapes seen for bacteria, and an even wider array for the archaea, which have even been found as star or square shapes.
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